After
by 2416jasper4ever
Summary: After years and years of euphoria, what happens to the Cullens, as well as the entire vampire and werewolf population, when Earth's time comes? Usual pairings, post- Breaking Dawn, apocalyptic.
1. Chapter 1

* * *

_**After**_

_Summary: After years and years of euphoria, what happens to the Cullens, as well as the entire vampire and werewolf population, when Earth's time comes? Usual pairings, post- Breaking Dawn, apocalyptic._

Chapter 1

_Bella POV:_

The year was 9021. We were living in Quebec at the time, masquerading as humans, of course. We didn't attend high school anymore. No one did. Obviously, there was still some form of education in the world, but it was necessary to take high school out of the equation because it was a waste of time. You learned to read and write and were taught the imperative vocabulary words at the age of 5. Then, you immediately went to an academy of science where you were assigned the task of figuring out a way to stop the impending doom. By this, I mean the end of the world. In the 2200's Global Warming struck, and it was almost too much for us to bear. It was unceasingly sunny, and we almost never got to venture outdoors. Jacob and Renesmee hated being cooped up, Alice got really tired of ordering from catalogs, and Carlisle had to take a break from medicine because he could never make it to work. The humans didn't fare too much better. The Earth's population was down to about 10 million, which was pretty low when compared to the 6 billion of my time. Most of their crops died because they were exposed to too much sun. The ice caps melted, which raised the water level of the ocean and most of the coasts were lost like Atlantis, completely submerged.

That was a long time ago, though. We have bigger problems nowadays. It had been centuries since the sun had shone bright yellow. A dull red flowed from it now. It was too old to accommodate humans any longer. Naturally, all of the Cullens were very worried about the ramifications of the sun dying out. No humans or animals meant no blood. The non-vegetarians were already fighting over the southern territories where the humans had fled to. Fortunately, a large amount of vampires had given up humans in search of more copious supplies of food.

One day, Emmett had tried to lighten the mood. "You know, when the sun is red it doesn't make our skin sparkle, so we can go outside whenever we want."

Rosalie just sighed, rather morosely. Carlisle had been researching for weeks with Edward, and the rest of us had been trying to stay quiet so as not to distract Alice from potential visions. I think it had been a full week since she had moved, or spoken, or even opened her eyes. Jasper sat across from her in the living room and watched her, only budging once to offer his input to Carlisle.

I just stood at the window, thinking. A few hours ago Emmett had asked me if I wanted a stress ball. I don't think I even responded. I was so distracted by what would happen to our family when the sun finally died. We probably wouldn't be able to stick together because of the blood shortage. And who knows if we would even be able to survive the demise of the sun. Maybe the vampires would live, but the werewolves wouldn't. Maybe we would all survive, or maybe we would all die. Like I said, no one knew anything of the future of the allegedly mythical creatures. As I stood there, contemplating, I felt Edward's eyes on my back. I turned to look at him, a little fearfully I must admit, I had no idea what emotions I would see etched into his face.

He looked as confused and worried as I did, but there was something else behind a strategically placed facade. Fear? I walked to the next room where he and Carlisle had set up their researching station. "It's been three weeks, Bella, since we last fed. I was wondering if you would like to go hunting with me?"

Both of our eyes were a solid black, it was about time for a hunting trip. "Sure", I replied, holding out my hand for him to take. Maybe he would tell me what was on his mind when we were away from unwanted listeners.

He stood and grasped my hand. I spoke to the whole family, "We'll be back by tomorrow morning. Be good, Renesmee."

Even without looking I knew that Renesmee had rolled her eyes at my parting comment. Edward said nothing as he set a pace that had me running as fast as I could to keep up. He stopped about ten miles from the house. I sniffed the air, searching for the scent of an animal. Edward watched me with a small smile on his immaculate face. I couldn't smell anything, and I was wondering how much of a difference a century of extra training could make when Edward spoke. "Bella," he said in his serious voice to attract my attention.

I quit sniffing and looked at him. "Bella, they're coming", he said slowly, as if he was afraid of my reaction.

"They?", I asked hoping for some kind of elaboration.

"Yes. All of them".

"The Volturi? All of the Volturi is coming here?" I was trying to piece it all together, and Edward wasn't really helping.

"Not just the Volturi. Everyone. Every single vampire is coming here to have some sort of meeting that the Volturi called concerning the death of the sun", he answered, finally giving me something to go on.

"Oh. Oh wow. Sooo what now?" I didn't really know what to say. My mind was too busy thinking about what this meant for the Cullens to formulate intelligent responses or to voice any sort of opinions on the matter. He shrugged, still watching me as if I was about to freak out.

"Why here? Why not Italy?", I asked, finally thinking of some questions to pose.

"No one trusted them enough to walk right in to their lair unprotected. Aro asked Carlisle to let him hold a meeting here to discuss the effect this might have on our kind. Well, actually, he hasn't asked yet, but he will. Soon. Alice had a vision just before we left. Carlisle says yes, everyone moves here----

I cut him off. "Moves? They're _moving _here? They're going to be staying here permanently?", I asked, incredulous.

"It's possible that they will be staying here a little longer than we hoped, yes", he said sounding guilty and a bit afraid. Agitated as I was at the Volturi, I still had to laugh at Edward's expression.

When I had calmed down, I decided to get some more questions out of the way. "We get to keep our room, right?", I asked, genuinely worried. The last time this many vampires had gathered at our house it was to protect Renesmee from the Volturi. Edward and I had had our own cottage, then, so I knew we wouldn't be giving it up to house our guests. Now, I wasn't so sure. Everyone lived in the main house. No new couples had joined our family to warrant the need for a cottage. It had been a full seven thousand years since anyone new had taken the name of Cullen. Renesmee didn't even go by Cullen anymore. She married Jacob and took his last name shortly after her twentieth birthday.

He laughed. "Yes, love. I'm sure we won't be uprooted."

"Okay, good." I was relieved. " Come on, let's go hunting. We have a long ways to go and I'm really thirsty. I was thinking we could go back to our meadow. Forks is a ghost town, now, so there will be plenty of animals."

"Sounds perfect", was all he said before taking my hand and spinning me in the direction of Forks, or at least the place where Forks used to be.

* * *

**This chapter was really short, and I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to set up the time line at the beginning to eliminate confusion. The other chapters will be much longer, I promise. Review, please. I like to know how I'm doing. This is my first story ever, so all suggestions are welcome. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I just realized that I neglected to put a disclaimer on my last chapter, so hopefully this will count enough for the both of them. Anyways, don't be fooled. I am not Stephanie Meyer, and I do NOT own Twilight. Yet. I do, however, own the little scared guy and Tristan.**

After

Chapter 2

Bella POV

We ran together until late into the morning, reminiscing all the while. We spoke of the day we met and he went into detail on how he felt before we became friends. He could recall every thought he had had while watching me adjust to Forks, but I could just remember the most important events. Sadly, he could still remember every dreadful outfit I had worn. Alice has shown me the light, and according to her I am still making up for some of the particularly horrific ensembles I had donned during my first few years as a vampire.

I felt bad when he mentioned how it had upset him to watch me speak with Mike. He apologized again and again for his behavior at the hospital after the car accident, even though I had forgiven him quite a while ago.

I made sure to ask him about the time he had spent in Denali the week after my first day at Forks High School. I was a little surprised at the things he told me about Tanya. Her and I were pretty good friends these days. She even found a mate. His name was Tristan, and he had come from somewhere in New Zealand. Kate and Garrett were happily married and Garrett was a full fledged vegetarian.

Around noon we made a stop at the La Push cemetery. Billy was buried there, as well as the entire werewolf pack, except for Jacob. Billy had lived to the ripe old age of 103. Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, and I had attended the funeral. We just hung in the back the whole time. Most of the werewolf pack had died within days of the object of their imprinting. Those who didn't imprint just let nature take its course. I had requested-over the phone, of course- that Charlie be buried at La Push as well. He had died when he was 81, and the entire Cullen brigade had gone to his funeral, even though they ran the risk of being recognized. They thought that it was the least they could of done, considering that they hadn't been able to make it to his wedding to Sue Clearwater.

Edward and I visited each of our friends' graves, placing wildflowers on every headstone. When we reached Charlie's plot Edward told me a few stories about him that I had never heard. Apparently, Charlie had let Edward have it the night he had brought me home from Italy. Edward chose this moment to fill me in on what I had missed while I had been sleeping.

"Did he ever apologize?", I asked. I was a little angry at him for the awful things he had blamed Edward for, but I was also laughing pretty hard because it was classic Charlie. And now after all these years, I found this quality of Charlie's to be endearing.

"No", Edward replied, laughing at the memory,"And he shouldn't have. _I_ was at fault, _he_ was completely justified. He said nothing that wasn't true. I am to blame for everything that happened to you."

I scoffed. "Silly Edward. You did nothing wrong. I've had an eternity and I still couldn't convince you on that point." By the end of my sentence I couldn't remember what we had been talking about. I could only think of Earth's bleak future, and I think that it showed on my face.

Before I knew it, Edward's finger had slipped under my chin, pulling my face up towards, something that he had done a million times. He looked me straight in the eye, and said in his persuasive voice, "Bella, our eternity isn't over. Not even close."

"How do you know that? How can you be so sure?", I shot back, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

He pulled me into his chest, and whispered into my ear, "I'm not. I just know that whatever is waiting for us at the end of immortality, will be something we face together. I think it has been well established that we are not able, or willing, to be separated."

I believed him. I knew that we would never be divided from each other. And death clearly wasn't an obstacle for us. I smiled, and let the shield around my mind down to let him know how I felt. I didn't think it was something I could express with words, even with my vampire vocabulary. I pulled away, and grasped his hand saying, "Come on, let's get out of here. I would like to see what is left of LaPush."

The cemetery was a few miles away from where the reservation had been, and Edward and I took our time getting there. We walked at a human pace. We figured that LaPush would be as deserted as Forks was. There weren't enough people in the world to occupy every town or city, so most people had flocked to the big cities like New York, Miami, or Houston. Anyone in this area lived in Seattle, now.

We hadn't gone very far when I asked sarcastically, "Do you think this will still count as breaking our treaty with the werewolves, even if there is no one around to enforce it?"

"Oh, most definitely", was his reply.

I watched Edward's face as his features changed drastically from mock sincerity to complete seriousness. He stopped in his tracks and looked far into the distance before giving me a look that would have stalled my heart, had I been human.

"Edward? Edward, what is it? What's wrong?" I was panicked now, because he wasn't responding. I put my hands on either side of his face, and tried to focus his attention on me.

Before I could begin asking questions again, he choked out, "Nothing", his voice sounded kind of dazed, but it was getting clearer the more he spoke. "Nothing is wrong. It's just that there are still some people living here. I can hear...thoughts." I was stunned. I assumed that LaPush would be just as empty as Forks was. Meanwhile, Edward was getting a little off subject, and I had the feeling that he was talking more to himself than to me. I dropped my hands, and watched in silence as he continued thinking out loud. "I just don't get it. Why would people stick around here? There's nothing left. It's just inconceivable to me how they could manage to keep the Indian bloodline so pure. I thought they would have died out long ago."

From his speech I was able to gather some information. Some of the Quiluete tribe was still living on this land. I wondered if some of the elders who believed in the legends would recognize us for what we were. It was possible. It's not like it would be the first time someone saw through the holes in our detailed charade. I don't suppose it really mattered now. The humans had a few months left at the most. And if vampires were discovered, I doubt the Volturi would punish us. The humans could do very little damage to us in a few months. They would probably be too scared to do anything at all.

When Edward had ceased voicing random conclusions, I started in. "Shall we?", I asked, intending to march right into LaPush and see for myself how the descendants of my friends were doing.

Edward was a little flummoxed. "Seriously? You want to meet them and like, talk to them? Why? Of course, I would be more than happy to accompany you to chat with these lovely people, but I just can't fathom why you would want to."

"Oh come on, aren't you the least bit curious to know if they still believe in vampires? I am. Or to see if we recognize any of the last names from when we were here last? We don't have to spend that much time there, it won't take me long to get the answers I want. And we can head to Forks the second I am finished here."

"Take as much time as you want. I am in no hurry.", he told me, as he reached for my hand.

He set a slow pace, and led the way towards town. "So what do you want to do when we get there? Introduce ourselves? See if they think we're kidding?", he asked.

"That could work", I replied jokingly, before continuing in a more pensive tone, "I really hadn't thought that part through. Maybe I should have. I say we wing it."

"As you wish.", said Edward.

We walked through the dense forest that separated the cemetery from the town for a few minutes when suddenly Edward stopped and inquired, "Race me?"

"You know that you're faster than me. I don't have a chance.", I groaned.

"We will race to the first human we see. First one to tag them on the shoulder wins.", said Edward, pretending that I hadn't spoken.

I laughed. "Are you serious? We'll scare the humans to death." I didn't wait for an answer. I just shot off like a bullet. Behind me, I heard Edward's feet hit the ground at impossibly scattered intervals. He caught up quickly, and we were head to head for a brief moment. Then, Edward began to speed up. I pushed myself to my limit, something that I didn't do often. Seconds later, we both burst out of the trees and on to an expertly paved road. We both stopped, and began to scan the area around us. We both saw him at the same time. He was a man around 20 years old, and he was just standing there on the sidewalk, facing away from us. Edward and I looked at each other and smiled. Without hesitation, we ran towards the guy. Like I have said, Edward is much faster than me. Before I had gone far, Edward had whacked the man lightly on the shoulder, effectively scaring the living daylights out of him.

I started cracking up, because Edward had been so jazzed about winning that he shouted out, "Yeah, beat that." Then, he started a celebratory dance and topped it all off with a song. "You wanna be me, but you can't be me. You wanna be me, but you can't be me."

He had completely forgotten about the terrified man who was currently on the ground, shaking with fright. He was as pale as a sheet, and staring up at Edward and I.

When the man began mumbling in a foreign language, Edward took notice of him. He held out his hand to the guy. "Sorry man, I got a little carried away."

He shoved away from Edward's hand, and picked himself off the ground. He sounded angry when he spoke this time. He backed away from us, and before turning and booking it on out of here, he spoke in heavily accented English. "Be gone, evil spirits. Be gone."

Edward looked at me. "I think they remember us, or at the very least they remember the old legends."

I stared at the man's retreating figure. "Is there any chance that that could have been a coincidence."

* * *

**I told you I would make it longer this time. Well, feel free to review. Chapter 3 will be out soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**

* * *

**

After

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I am not Stephanie Meyer. I'm still working out a way to change that.**

_Author's Note: While writing the 2nd chapter, I realized how much of a downer my story was, so I made Edward a little OOC in the middle, in an attempt to lighten the mood. I added this author note just in case you were wondering what the whole victory dance thing was about._

_Typo alert: On the first chapter, I said that the year was 7021. It was supposed to 9021. _

Chapter 3

Edward POV

We should have run. We should have done _something_. The little man was bound to return soon, and this time with he would probably bring friends. It wasn't like Bella and I were in shock and therefore unable to move. We were perfectly capable of getting the hell out of there. I guess we were just too curious to leave now, when things were just starting to get good. I, for one, wanted to know how humans would react in a situation like this. I knew that I was being stupid and reckless and should leave while I still had the chance, but something was holding me here. Some perverse desire to observe and learn. Maybe I was being too egotistical to assume that we could handle whatever the humans could throw at us, but I didn't see Bella trying to leave, either.

I tried reading the guy's thoughts, but they were in a language I had never heard of. And that was saying something. Over the years, Bella and I had put our vampire memories to use by becoming fluent in almost every language we could. I gave up trying to read his mind after a minute. So for now, I would just have to rely on my ears to inform me of his return. The man was taking his sweet time getting back here with those reinforcements.

I looked down at Bella, who was standing next to me. She was peering up at me as if she was expecting me to say something. After a moment I realized that she thought that I had some kind of plan. I didn't. Not at all.

When she understood that I didn't have a way of getting us out of this, she began, "Umm... should we, maybe, leave? I mean, that guy knew what we were. He will probably come back soon. With friends. If we depart before anybody else sees us, the man might think he was hallucinating, or just crazy. I'm no Alice, but I don't see good things happening to us if we stay." Bella watched me while she spoke, obviously hoping that my facial expression would show signs of agreeing with her. I wanted to stay, but I wouldn't--no, couldn't disappoint her.

"Yes. You are right. We should go, now.", I said, working to keep the regret and defeat from my voice. She looked relieved and I smiled in response to that.

I surveyed the land around us. We were standing on the outskirts of town. We were near some sort of park. I quickly found out that we would have to go through the middle of town if we ever wanted to make it to our meadow. When I told Bella this, all she did was advise me to run fast.

Before we could take off, we both heard the familiar sound of humans running. Running toward us. "These humans are exceptionally bold", I observed, "They know what we can do, and yet they come at full speed to confront us."

Of course, we could have outrun them. We could be hidden behind a cover of trees before they would be able to detect our presence. And now I was willing to leave because I believed that Bella wanted us to go. But when I looked at her she seemed to be struck with the same forceful curiosity that had plagued me before, that had made me want to stay.

"Bella?", I asked, when she made no move to bolt.

For a moment she didn't answer, she just stared at the humans who were now descending a large hill. The man we had met earlier was in the lead. Finally, she responded. "I... want to stay, I think. I'm intrigued by these people. They act very strange, indeed."

"Then it's settled", I said, controlling the amount of joy in my voice, " We shall stay and speak with the humans. We will find out what they want. I do believe that they wish to talk, because they have no weapons with them. Unless they are great fools, they do not approach us to fight." Judging by the things the man had said to us prior to scurrying off, their people knew at least a little bit of English.

Bella nodded, and we stood together, hand in hand, awaiting our next challenge. Just then, my phone rang. The Caller ID said that it was Jasper.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Jasper POV**

I was going crazy. She hadn't moved or spoken in a week, and I missed her so much. And the truly devastating part was that she was sitting a foot away from me. Her eyes were closed, and her face seemed calm. But her emotions told a completely different story. They were all over the place. She would go from surprised to angry, from sad to scared, from nostalgic to eager. Her emotional track had no pattern and they came and went so quickly that I had no time to combat the negative feelings.

I know it's selfish, but I wish she would stop scouring the future for a while. I was afraid that the last moments we would ever spend together would be like this. With her completely detached from reality, from me. This wish was also silly. We wouldn't die. Being immortal meant that we wouldn't die from lack of blood to drink, or from the extreme cold that would ensue when the sun perished. We would be alive. Alive and miserable. But Alice and I would still be together. Alice was the only thing that had kept me sane these past millenniums.

I heard Alice gasp. I was immediately at attention. Her eyes shot open, and she said, in a rather urgent and strained voice, "Phone." I instantly complied, pulling the ancient thing out of my pocket and offered it to her. She took it from my hand and quickly dialed Edward's number.

"What have you two been doing?", she demanded. Man, she sounded angry. And she was. I could feel the hostility that was emnatingfrom her. I was too starved for entertainment to send waves of calm towards her just yet.

Edward must have put his phone on speaker, because I heard Bella and Edward say,"Nothing," in unison, their vioces dripping with innocence.

"How did he know?", she asked calming down on her own accord. "We didn't tell him anything. He just _knew," _I heard Bella say.

"We're taking care of it, Alice. Don't worry. We have it under control, I think," said Edward trying to convince her.

There was a short pause during which Alice had another vision. "You do," Alilce admitted grudgingly, "You actually can handle this one." I could tell that Alice knew that they had done something reckless, and she hated the fact that they would get off without any punishment.

"Okay. Thanks Alice. We should probably---" Bella's goodbye was cut short by Alice snapping the phone shut. She wasn't mad. Anymore. She just needed to get back to searching the future. And that's exactly what she did. She set the phone on my knee, and closed her eyes again. She resumed her position of absolute stillness.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Edward POV**

Right as I was thinking that we should get off the phone, because the humans were getting close, Bella began saying goodbye to Alice. "Okay. Thanks Alice. We should probably---" We heard a little beep and then dial tone. Alice had hung up on us.

"Is she angry with us?" Bella was very concerned about her sister's feelings, so I reassured her, even though I wasn't certain myself.

"Of course not. She's just really busy. Her visions are probably occupying her attention."

We both turned our focuses back to the approaching mob. Their courage seemed to be dissipating, because the closer they got, the slower they moved. There were about 20 humans altogether. Eventually, they reached us. They halted within 15 feet of us, and just as I had anticipated they only wished to converse with us. I knew that they neither meant us, nor could do us any harm. I knew this, but I still stepped a little to the side so I would be shielding Bella, however marginally.

I noticed that their faces looked apologetic. Again, I tried to read their minds. I had guessed right when I deduced that they spoke some English. In most of their minds I could hear them trying to brush up on the basic concepts of our language.

The man I had knocked down, not 15 minutes ago, stepped forward and cleared his throat, obviously intending to begin the conversation. But what he had to say shocked Bella and I to no end. "I apologize, sir. For my actions, and the things I said to you. I should have realized your true nature right away, the moment I looked into your eyes. You see, we have met many immortals over the years, and none have been pleasant encounters. We have been expecting you for quite some time. The Great Chief Uley recorded great things about you in his written documents. He said your golden eyes were a sign of your abstinence from humans. You must be the Master Edward and Mistress Bella from our legends, if you don't mind us calling you so.", he finished humbly.

Bella and I stared at them, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I composed myself to form a response. My surprise added a manner of formality to my riposte. "We are, indeed, who you say, but Edward and Bella will suffice. You are mistaken in one aspect, though. It is you who deserve my apologies for my actions. I implore, how did you know we would come?"

"We didn't really _know _you would come, we just hoped. Andwe have been preparing for such an occasion. We have some information for you. If I understand correctly, one of our own warriors resides with you still. His name being Jacob Black. You may be surprised at the extent of our knowledge on the subject of your stays here. Each one of our chiefs is given the task of keeping a journal to record every detail of the goings on. Chief Uley wrote a lot about you. He mentioned everything. He foretold that Jacob would never cease to phase so he would be able to remain with the object of his imprinting forever. Your daughter, Renesmee. That was a most enthralling story. But back to the topic at hand. As I said, we have information for you. Come with us, if you will, and we will show you what we mean."

An elderly woman grabbed Bella's other hand. She didn't even flinch at Bella's icy skin. I guess she had expected it. The woman began to pull Bella--and by extension, me-- towards the heart of LaPush. We allowed the woman to drag us into a small house. Once inside, I quickly realized that this building was no longer used as an actual living space. It reminded me of a military base, to be honest. There were maps and charts strewed about tables and chairs, and some things were pinned to the walls. The adjacent rooms that I could see were exactly the same. Only a few people followed us in, and one disengaged himself to retrieve the 'information'.

When this amn came back he had a huge folder in his hand. "This," he said, gesturing to the folder,"is all you will need to survive. This knowledge is very important to our people, and understand that we only give it to you because it is the only chance Jacob has at making it through this-- this travesty. Now you must leave, and make plans for your departure."

Bella stepped forward. "Departure?" She sounded troubled and confused.

"Yes. Your departure," the old man said slowly, as if we were mentally incompetent. They no longer seemed afraid of offending us. When Bella and I showed no signs of comprehension, the man laughed. "Well, you weren't planning on remaining on Earth, were you? No, don't do that. That is a very bad idea." Then, the man walked out of the room, leaving the folder on the table for us to take.

I picked up the folder, and towed Bella outside. She didn't ask if I knew what the old man had meant, and I was glad because I didn't know. I could extract nothing from his thoughts.

"Can we go to Forks now?," Bella asked. I just nodded and began to run. It was one of those rare moments when I actually felt tired.

* * *

**I hope you liked chapter 3. Sometime soon I will bring the Volturi to Canada to have that vampire meeting they've been dying to get to. **


	4. Chapter 4

**After**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I don't and probably will never own Twilight.**

Chapter 4

**Bella POV**

It took us about four minutes of straight-up sprinting to reach the city limits of Forks. I reflected on everything the man had said. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he had meant that we should leave the planet. Where else would we go? At the very least we would have to leave this galaxy. Any other planet in the Milky Way would be in the same kind of situation. I doubted that we would be able to find a planet that was fit for living and had pre-established civilizations. We had no chance at building a community by ourselves. Jacob was the only one who could actually procreate, and his wife was sterile. The life forms would have to be pretty close to humans, as well, so we could blend in, and so that Jacob would have everything he could ever need. The whole idea seemed awfully far-fetched to me.

But then again, I didn't know what was in that folder. Yet. Maybe it would tell us all that we would need to know for moving to a new planet. It was possible that it included instructions to build a luxury spaceship that would take us to a new and perfect planet in just a few days. I scoffed mentally. But on the other hand, when had the Quileute Indians ever steered me in the wrong direction?

I had barely noticed when Edward turned right. We were going to his house, I realized. Our house. We had returned to Forks many times since we had left after Renesmee's third birthday, and each time we would return to this house. Our last stay here was about 1000 years ago, shortly before Forks' population went down to zero.

There was no front lawn anymore. Just trees and _extremely _overgrown plants. The once beautiful and majestic house was all but demolished now. One tree was actually growing through a hole in the roof. The southern wall, that had been completely constructed from glass, was shattered. Edward surveyed the damage for a second, his face like stone. He ran into the house, with me close behind.

Inside, it was worse. Some of the damage looked like it had been inflicted intentionally. Probably by teenagers with chainsaws that had nothing better to do on a Saturday night. Walls were falling down, and the furniture that Esme had opted to leave behind was torn to shreds.

Whenever the styles changed, she would bring new furniture in, but after all these years she had never replaced the dining room table. It was still sitting in the same place, but it was split in two. The table held a lot of fond memories for me. We used to hold family meetings here. I had even called one, once, right after Edward, Alice, and I had gotten back from Italy.

The expression on Edward's face was heartbreaking as he looked around at the place that had been more his home than anywhere else we had lived. We had gotten married here. Our daughter had been born here. This had been our first home together.

I walked over and kissed him on the cheek. He tried unsuccessfully to put a convincing smile on his face, for my sake. I set my chin on his shoulder and stroked his hair in a way that I hoped he would find comforting. I wanted him to know that I understood how he felt, and I sympathized. I wasn't as upset as him because I had expected this. It had been 1000 years, after all. A few minutes passed. Edward pulled away and continued his evaluation.

The stairs leading up to the second floor were gone, so Edward just jumped. I was surprised that he didn't break through the boards that he landed on. They looked decayed and unstable. As did the rest of the house.

I followed cautiously, not wanting to add to the ruination. He spent very little time on the second floor, only stopping once to check out Renesmee and Jacob's room. I suppose he wanted to be able to tell his daughter the state her first room was in. It wasn't that bad. Comparatively, at least.

The next set of stairs were still intact, and Edward bounded up them eagerly. Our room was on the third floor.

I stayed on the second floor a moment longer than he. I wanted to look at the paintings in Carlisle's office. Most of the Cullens took their personal belongings with them when they moved. Edward took his CD's, Alice took her clothes, and Rosalie took her mechanic tools, but Carlisle had so many paintings that he always left them behind. The ones in this house were my favorites. I wanted to bring them back to Quebec with me. I took them off the walls of his study, and carried them up to the third floor.

I saw Edward standing at the entrance to his room, his hands on either side if the door frame. His back was to me. I stopped dead in my tracks. The door frame was all that was left of his room. Beyond that, there was nothing. The rest of the space looked like it had been ripped away from the building. It was like we were staring out a large, open, and very jagged window. I could feel the wind blowing and could smell the earth two stories below me.

I didn't have much time to ponder what had happened to our room. I would have preferred an instant to speculate the story behind this. Maybe a tornado? This section of the house would be exceptionally susceptible to strong winds, because of the way it jutted out from the rest of the house. It stood on its own supports. Edward spun, and said to me in a particularly somber voice, "We should set out. I want to see the cottage before it gets dark. We promised Renesmee that we would be back in the morning, and we still need to hunt."

Then, he turned back around and jumped out the 'window'. I did the same, a little worried about his present mood. Without saying a word we ran to our cottage. I had Carlisle's paintings tucked under my arm.

I didn't know why he would want to torture himself any further. He did not seem to be taking the demise of his beloved mansion too well. For the first few times that we returned to Forks Edward and I stayed in the cottage away from the rest of the family, while Renesmee stayed in the main house with Jake. But after a while we took our place in Edward's room. I suspected that Edward wanted to leave our private heaven because he wished to keep an eye on his son-in-law. Eventually, he got over that fatherly urge to kill every man that looked at his daughter sideways. And there were quite a few men that did. He never actually killed anyone, though there were a few close calls. During our high school and college days he claimed that his mindreading abilities were becoming less and less of a gift.

As we neared the cottage I was dreading the things I would see. It didn't disappoint my horrific expectations. Everything but the stone foundation had been annihilated. A random passerby would never even know that a beautiful home had once been stationed here. The only clues left were the unnatural way that the stones were attached. Grout wasn't usually found, coated on the top of rocks in the middle of a forrest.

"Well, I guess that there is even less to see here than there was at the house," Edward began, his voice full of regret, "I haven't been here in so long, I don't know why I thought that there would be more left. I don't even know how long its been."

"May 19, 4587," I informed him, "That was the year that we moved right after graduation, because Samuel--"

"Because Samuel thought that it was weird that Alice never took a bathroom break," finished Edward.

"And we came here after the ceremony, and everybody got their bags packed, and left. But you and I stayed behind in the cottage and tried champagne for the first time."

"That was repulsive. I am never, ever doing that again." Edward said as he shuddered.

"It was your idea," I reminded him. He laughed at that before telling me that he was ready to go if I was.

We left the depressing ruins and ran straight for our meadow. It had always been an escape for Edward and I. One that we visited a lot when we were in Forks, and even when we weren't. I was excited to be going back even if I would only see a disappointing reality. I had a tendency to build up the attributes of someone or something in my head. I usually just ignored what my infallible vampire memory was telling me.

Improbable as it may seem, it was exactly the same. Everything in the surrounding area was covered in verdure, but the perfectly symmetrical clearing was untouched by vegetation. I marveled at its serenity for a moment before joining Edward on the grass. I assumed that he didn't want to look at the folder just yet, because he had dropped it on the edge of the line of trees that were threatening to encroach upon this wonderful moment. I carefully set Carlisle's paintings next to it.

He was lying on his back in the center of the glade. His hands were resting behind his head, his eyes were closed, and a sarcastic smile lit his face. I laid on my side and watched him. When I could no longer stand the silence I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. As soon as he started to respond to my embrace I pulled away. He knew that I wanted him to broach the subject of his own will. "It's funny, you know," he began, without opening his eyes, "that was the only home I've ever really had, and now its destroyed. I'll miss it a great deal. Come to think of it, it's not all that funny," he paused for a moment before asking me, "We had some good times there, didn't we?"

"Yeah. We did. We had some great times. Some of our best."

Finally, he opened his eyes, and rolled onto his side so that he was facing me. "I think we should hunt. We have to leave soon, we might as well get this out of the way."

I stood, unhappy that we had such little time here together. Alone and together. I didn't worry about the paintings that I had dropped by the edge of the meadow. It wasn't like there was anyone around to come by and steal them. I looked up to see Edward's hand held out to me. I was relieved to see that he had regained his lighthearted composure.

* * *

We had discovered an abundance of mountain lions while hunting. They were Edward's favorite, and I liked them because they reminded me of him. He laughed when I told him this, but consoled my embarrassment by saying that he had once taken the lid from my lemonade bottle and kept it for instrumental inspiration.

As I was cleaning my hands off in a nearby creek I remembered something. Something that had somehow slipped my mind for the past few hours. I had suppressed the questions I had been dying to ask, and on the way had succeeded in completely shutting it out of my mind. "Edward?", I called, in my normal speaking voice. He was feeding about a quarter of a mile away from me.

He didn't answer verbally, but 7 seconds later he had slipped his arm around my waist, and was guiding us back towards our meadow. He looked at me in anticipation for my question. "When are the Volturi coming for their meeting?"

"They will arrive a week from tomorrow, according to Alice. But their other guests won't be coming until a few days later. Surprisingly enough, everyone they could find and invite is actually going to come."

"What were you expecting?" I asked him.

"I thought that some would be too untrusting to attend. Or too scared."

"Well, of course they're scared, but it's not the Volturi they really fear."

"What do you mean?" He asked, the fact that he hated not being able to always read my mind was plain on his face.

"This is one enemy that they can't beat with super strength, Edward. If anyone has information that could help them-- and I'm sure they think that the Volturi do-- they will put their mistrust behind them. Believe me, fear will make them come, not keep them away."

He looked at me in awe for a moment before smiling and saying, "You've been hanging around Carlisle _way_ too much."

When we reached the meadow seconds later, I was still laughing. I ducked out of Edward's arm and picked the folder up off the ground. "As soon as we get home we will be showing this to everyone, right?" I asked, suddenly unsure.

Edward looked troubled for a moment. It seemed as though he was trying to think something through, like he needed time to figure out how to word something correctly. He answered me after an abnormally long pause. "No," he said slowly, averting his eyes.

He needed that much time to figure out how to say that? I would've laughed had it been a different moment. "Why not?"

"Aro can't know about this. No one, besides the ten of us, should ever know about this. Not every vampire can leave the planet, and fights will break out among our guests. Everyone will want to leave and no one will be able to decide who gets to. The Quileute people will be angry if Jacob dies because we were unable to secure a place in the new world for him. If we go home tomorrow, and tell everyone about this, Aro will read all about it in their minds a week from now. He can't read your mind, and Alice and I have had much practice in dodging his handshakes."

"Alice?" I asked, wondering why she got to be let in on the secret.

"She, of course, saw everything and then some in her vision."

Well, duh. I can't believe how dense I can really be sometimes.

"I think I can keep a secret." I dropped the folder and the subject. But then, I thought of another complication.

"When will we tell them? I thought that everyone was staying for good."

"They are planning on it, but Alice sees that they won't. When the sun dies and all the humans do too, everyone will leave and fend for themselves."

"And the Denalis? They'll starve. They won't actually _die_ of starvation, but from what I've gathered from Carlisle's story, it seems like they will get very, very weak. They consider themselves family, do we just let them stay here all alone?"

"I'm really not sure. I will leave it up to Carlisle. I do really hope that we can take them with us."

For the rest of the night we talked about non-despairing things. Edward asked me if I wanted to see the town part of Forks, and I declined. I already knew what I would find, and I wanted to get home. I planned on discussing _everything_ with Alice.

* * *

**I am sorry I took so long to update. There were a lot of details that I couldn't make up my mind about. Please review. I would like to know if you guys want the Denalis to leave with the Cullens or not. **


	5. Chapter 5

**After**

**Disclaimer: I have finally come to terms with the fact that I do not own Twilight.**

**Author note:** I would like to give credit where credit is due. So thank you, edwardlover10, for being a faithful reviewer, my personal spell check, and for guilting me into writing on several occasions. I told you I had your dedication planned for chapter 5.

Edwardlover10 wrote an awesome story called Complications. You should go check it out. When you are done reading and reviewing my story, of course.

* * *

Chapter 5

**Alice POV**

In 34 seconds Edward and Bella would be walking through that door. Edward had played the gentleman, and was holding Carlisle's paintings so Bella wouldn't have to. The folder that no one was supposed to know about was hidden in the frame of the largest print. Edward's plan of sneaking it past the family would work, but barely. If Esme's curiosity got the best of her then the whole scheme would fall apart. Edward would have to stay 12 seconds longer to answer her question, and that would be long enough for Emmett's eyes to stray over to the the slight bulge in the canvas' framework.

But at this moment Esme was just planning on saying a quick hello, and then letting them see Renesmee, who was still sleeping soundly upstairs.

Things turned out in their favor. Carlisle expressed his gratitude towards Bella for saving his artwork. Esme hugged them both. Then, Edward offered to take the paintings to his office on their way to see Renesmee. Edward and Bella went to their room first, and extricated the folder, dropped the paintings off, and went to visit their daughter.

I saw all of this through my extra set of eyes, instead of my natural ones. I was still rummaging through the future. I was looking for answers and coming up blank. I was watching every single vampire I could, and everything I saw was retarded and irrelevant. I didn't need to know that Benjamin's shoe was going to become untied in a few minutes. I didn't want to know that Garret was going to break his CD in half because he was holding on too tight. And I certainly didn't have to know that Siobhan was going to read _Captains and the Kings_ next. But no matter how useless this information was I still had to search the time to come. It was my job, its why they kept me around.

I heard Bella, Edward, and Renesmee descend the stairs. I listened as they described the destruction of our previous home to the rest of the family. I didn't know why they were making such a big deal out it. The news didn't phase me. I made it a rule to never get attached to things that wouldn't last through my lifetime.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I opened my eyes for the first time in _a while. _"Four minutes," I told them in an urgent voice. Their heads all whipped around to look at me.

The Volturi gang would arrive in roughly 3 minutes and 56 seconds. I was finally free to revel in the present. For the time being, at least.

I stood, stretched (unnecessarily), and kissed Jasper briefly on the cheek. I had missed him a lot over the past few weeks. Almost everybody looked nervous, except for Emmett who looked eager. Once, Jasper had told me that Emmett was anxious almost 60% of the time, but was very good at controlling his facial expressions. I wouldn't have expected that, considering how little control he had in _other_ areas.

I heard a gentle knock on the door. They were early. Demetri had sniffed out a shortcut. Carlisle went swiftly to answer the door.

Esme had somehow gotten a crew to build a mini house about a mile away, in just a weeks' time. The Volturi clan would be staying there, because there was no way in hell that everyone would fit in this house. Vampires didn't need a whole lot of room, but they needed some. And there were like 25 people working for the Volturi.

Aro walked in with a huge smile on his face. Caius and Marcus looked as somber and annoyed as ever. The rest of the Volturi had already gone to their 'house'.

Edward was standing in the very back of the kitchen, avoiding physical contact with Aro as best as he could. When Aro tried to shake hands with him, Bella stepped in smoothly and took his hand. Aro, looking slightly disappointed turned to me. He held his arms out like he wanted a hug. I waved and stepped back, discreetly pushing poor Jasper into his arms. Edward and Bella were cracking up at the sight of the awkward embrace. The surprise on Aro's face was apparent. "You remember my husband, Jasper, right?" I asked pleasantly.

"Of course," said Aro, stepping away from an uncomfortable Jasper.

**Edward POV**

"We'll be in our rooms, if you need us," said Caius, as he and Marcus walked back out the front door. Sadly, Aro stayed a bit longer than his brothers.

"Carlisle," he said in a warm and obviously fake tone, "We should have gotten together more often. The pleasure of seeing you is... overwhelming." His eyes actually twinkled as he said this. I wondered briefly what the others would think about Aro's odd way of phrasing that.

_Creepy_- Alice

_That's sick_- Emmett, only he thought it in a really weird voice.

_What _exactly _did he mean by that?_ - Esme was surprisingly territorial.

_.............._- Bella. She had her shield up.

_Ummm.....EWWWWW_- Rosalie. She even thought it in a snotty voice.

_I find that disturbing- _Jasper thought, a little taken aback. That homophob.

_Please don't wink at me, please don't wink at me- _Carlisle was a tad frightened.

I tried to suppress the laughter that I thought would be spilling out of my mouth at any second. I glanced at Aro. He had planned to stay longer, but he noticed the strange looks he was getting from my family, and decided that it was time for him to join his brothers. He excused himself, and floated out of the side door. I listened to his thoughts as he ran. He was wondering what _our_ problem was. If only he knew.

Emmett began laughing his ass off when he thought Aro was out of hearing range.

_Are they laughing at me?_- I heard Aro think. He had heard Emmett.

I shot him a look that silenced him. Everyone sucked in a breath and held it. When I was sure that he could no longer overhear I said, "Okay, now you can laugh." And he did. Along with Rose, Jasper, Carlisle, Alice, and Bella. I might of joined in. A little bit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the week was rather uneventful. Our guests kept to themselves mostly. Things were pretty boring, actually. No one would really talk, because they were afraid of who might be listening. Bella and I could do nothing .... _fun._ Rosalie and Em were going out of their minds as well. Emmett's lustful feelings were having negative effects on Jasper, and that was kind of entertaining. Mostly, we just sat around and waited for the rest of the vampires to arrive. Hopefully, they would be more fun.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter and Charlotte were the first to arrive. They made quite an entrance, indeed. When Jasper opened the front door, they strutted in and looked around the room. Then, Peter's gaze settled on Jasper, and he said, with a silly grin on his face, "Bloody hell, Jasper, it's been a while." He was then pulled into his second awkward hug of the month. I pitied the man, I really did.

The rest of them made less comical entrances, much to my dismay.

I felt guilty everytime I looked at the Denalis, because I though of what Bella had said about leaving them behind. I tried avoiding them. But Tanya was getting suspicious, and I was afraid of her curiosity. I knew Tanya, and she was not above snooping around Bella and my room. If she found the folder--I couldn't even think about what that would mean for us. I felt selfish, and hated that I had to keep it up to save my family. I vowed that I would push Carlisle to decide to let the Denalis come. That made the guilt a little better, and I began hanging around them again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Bella POV**

I wanted to talk to Jacob to see how he was handling this many vampires in his house at one time. I was sniffing him out. He was in the backyard with Rosalie. Oh, this couldn't be good. Horrendous scenarios were running through my head. I could just imagine them fighting with each other verbally and physically. But as I was walking through the kitchen to the back door I encountered an old friend. Someone I hadn't seen in ages.

"Bella!!" He exclaimed, his excitement seeming sincere.

I sighed. "Felix." Felix and I hadn't always gotten along. He had become very annoyed with me when I was human, because I couldn't keep up a vampire pace. Things had just gone downhill from there.

I thought it was odd that he would suddenly be thrilled to see me, but I would accept his friendship if he was willing to offer it.

I suddenly felt afraid as his smile became an evil smirk. I kept my smile polite for reasons that are unknown to even me.

He walked over to me, and I froze. He whispered n my ear so low that no one else would be able to hear. "I know your secret, Bella." I panicked. What did he know? I had more than one secret that I was keeping from the Volturi. He wasn't necessarily talking about the folder. He could mean anything.

I kept my face a clear mask when I said, "I have no idea," here my face became threatening, "what you're talking about. Sorry to disappoint. But I have no secrets."

"I beg to differ, Bella."

I laughed a carefree laugh before making my voice as threatening as my face, "Let me rephrase. _You_ have no idea what you're talking about."

"Touchy," he observed, as he began to circle me. I growled, but otherwise remained still. I glared whenever he walked around in front of me.

"Back. Off." I spat through clenched teeth, the vitriol dripping off my words like the venom off my teeth.

"As you wish." He disappeared. I didn't let myself relax in case he came back. I walked stiffly out to the backyard, pushing the confrontation out of my mind.

I chatted with Jacob like nothing was wrong, and my parting comment was even humorous, or at least it was supposed to be.

Then, I ran to find Edward. I knew that he was in our room. I grabbed Alice and dragged her with me. We all needed to talk.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Edward POV**

I was reading in my room when Bella stormed in, dragging Alice by the wrist.

"Bella, love, what's wrong?" I was instantly worried.

She just mouthed 'Not here' to me. I got the message, and opened the window. The three of us ran all the way to the forests surrounding Seattle.

When we stopped, Bella explained everything to me. Man, I hated Felix. He had never found a mate. No wonder. He used to have .... inappropriate thoughts about Bella, and like a kindergartner, he was mean to her because of his little crush. I was gonna kill him. No, I couldn't. Stupid ethics. I would mess everything up for everyone. But that didn't mean I couldn't imagine myself killing him.

"Don't worry, Bella. I will be right back. I am going to see what he is thinking. I want to know what he means by 'secret'." I kissed her quickly, and left.

Felix is such an idiot. I had finally found a vampire who's brain wasn't improved by the transformation. He had told Bella that he knew her secret, because he knew she would worry. Obsessively. Apparently, he just wanted to be in her thoughts. Gag me. He knew no secret of Bella's. Like I said, idiot. Felix is a massive waste of my time.

I went back to the Seattle to retrieve my wife and sister, and to tell them what a imbecile Felix was. When I told them, Bella was noticeably relieved. I took her hand, and was turning to leave, when she gently yanked me back. I looked at her confused, but she just nodded towards Alice. Alice was holding the infamous folder.

"I think we should talk about this," said Alice.

She opened the folder to the first document, and flopped it on the ground. We all crouched down to read it.

* * *

**I would have put the meeting in here, but then it would have been too long. Review, please. I would appreciate your input.**


	6. Chapter 6

**After**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Or Stephenie Meyer.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

**Carlisle POV**

A week after the last of the vampires showed up, Aro finally commenced his meeting. His concept of time was seriously distorted. Years few by the seconds for him.

That morning, Esme and I strolled into the woods where they had supposedly been setting up. I wondered how much 'setting up' there would actually have to be. Did Marcus make a slideshow? That was unlikely. We broke through the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing. Aro was standing on a raised platform directing vampires with lawn chairs. "Not there, you idiot," he screeched at Felix. He muttered the next sentence, but no one had trouble hearing him, "If someone needed that much space between the chairs, they should be on a treadmill not at a--" He stopped abruptly, realizing that we could hear him, loud and clear.

About 100 chairs had already been placed in neat little aisles, all facing the makeshift stage. There was a podium and everything. No microphone, though. My eyes landed on Marcus' inanimate features. During my time in Italy, Marcus and I had become better friends than Aro and I. I knew him before his wife, Didyme, died. He had been lively and happy. His old personality was something like Esme and Alice mixed together. He had that bubbly attitude that was like Alice, but he was also very trusting and warm like Esme.

The loss of Didyme had broken him completely. He was apathetic towards life. I couldn't blame him, though. If _I_ were to lose---. Nevermind.

I was there when Aro told him that she had been murdered. It was one of my worst memories.

~~~Flashback~~~

_Marcus and I were in the throne room. He was teaching me to play a card game, of all things. He had promised to teach me a few tricks before he left Volterra with his mate, Didyme. Everything was ready for him to go. Aro had even given them his blessing. Of course he had. He would want his sister to be happy, right?_

_He was laughing at how bad he was beating me when we heard loud sobs coming from the floor below. "Is that Aro?" I asked, incredulous. It sounded like him._

_We both ran towards the noise. We found Aro in a room that we used for storage. He was indeed crying. When we walked through the door he stopped dry sobbing, and turned to Marcus. He looked apologetic and wary. "Marcus, I am so sorry."_

_Marcus took a small step backwards. Aro had not mentioned Didyme's name, but Marcus had all the paranoia of a man in love. Didyme was the only thing that would hurt to lose. "No," Marcus pleaded, shaking his head back and forth. His voice was barely a whisper. Then, it got louder. "NO. No."_

_Aro averted his eyes. "I ... I ... She was ..." He took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry, but she's gone."_

_"Who?" Marcus asked, after a moment, through a clenched jaw. Aro knew that he was referring to the killer. _

_"It was a newborn. He caught Didyme off-guard. But he's been...taken care of." His voice seethed with rage and hate._

_"I. Hope. It. Hurt. Like the hell that he will SPEND ETERNITY IN." Marcus was screaming by the end. I had never seen him like this before, he was always so gentle. He whipped out of the room, faster than I would have thought possible, even for a vampire. _

_Anger was the last emotion I ever saw him express. He stayed in his room for years, but I only stayed in Volterra for two months after Didyme's death._

_~~~End Flashback~~~_

"Carlisle!" Aro exclaimed, effectively snapping me out of my reverie. He was excited to see me in his clearing. He bent his knees, and suddenly he was flying through the air. He landed in a perfect crouch right in front of me. Now, that was an odd sight. He was so old. He straightened, and smiled at me.

"Are you almost ready to start?" I asked trying to hide my shock at his nimble movements.

"We're ready. Be a doll and bring everybody over."

"Sure, sure." I said, smiling a little at the phrase I had picked up from Jacob. I think I had used it in the wrong context, though.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, everyone was sitting in the uncomfortable chairs, except for Stephan and Vladimir. They were standing. Aro stood and began with a longwinded speech, of course.

"This is a time of crisis. But not an unanticipated crisis. Despite our efforts, we still have very few solutions. The world is coming to an end, and even though we are sure that all _vampires _will live," Jacob noticed how he had stressed the word vampires, and rolled his eyes, "there will be a shortage of blood. I urge you not to panic. No matter what happens you need to remember that you are led by very strong and capable individuals." I heard many scoffs, especially from the group that was standing up. "Do not forget that there needs to be order in our world. And rules."

At this point Vladimir had had enough. "And you are going to be the strong and capable individual that is going to lead us through this anticipated crisis?" His voice was mocking. He made it sound like Aro was crazy for thinking that he could remain in power.

"Ah, Vladimir." He sighed and shook his head as though talking to an unruly child. "I know we have made mistakes, but-----" No one got to hear him rationalize, because at that moment a very outraged Edward stood up, knocking his chair over. "Aro," Edward reproached. His tone suggested disbelief.

Everyone turned to look at Edward, except for Alice, who was looking at Aro in disgust. "How could you?" she whispered.

Now I was really confused. What did they know?

"Your own sister," Edward said, his voice matched Alice's face. Now, Marcus, who had not been paying much attention, locked eyes with Aro.

"Are they talking about Didyme?" he asked, his voice full of ancient sadness. Aro ignored him, and Marcus took it as a 'yes'.

"Edward, you don't have any clue what you are doing." Edward and Alice just stared at him angrily.

Marcus was catching on. "What did you do to her?"

Aro looked around at the faces of his accusers. "I ... I ..." After a moment of stuttering, the words started gushing from his mouth. "You were going to leave. She was _making_ you leave. I needed you."

"I wanted to leave. She didn't make me." Marcus snarled. He started walking slowly towards Aro, like a predator. "You said a newborn killed her."

"A newborn did kill her."

"Don't lie to me."

"I made him, I made the newborn to get rid of her. To free you." Their audience gasped, some growled. I growled.

"I loved her." Marcus spat. "And you killed her."

That was about the time that Aro realized just how strong and capable Marcus was. Up until this point, Aro hadn't believed that Marcus would actually hurt him. Now, he feared for his life, and began backing away.

"We've been over this, Marcus. I didn't kill her. The newborn did. I just told him to do it." His voice was patronizing, and Marcus was not oblivious to this fact. He lunged.

Aro didn't stand a chance. He had never had to fight before, and that was apparent. They wrestled into the trees, out of sight. The only vampires that followed to watch were Vladimir and Stephan. This was like prime entertainment for them.

The last thing I heard from Aro was him shouting, "I miss Renata." Renata had been his shield. She had been killed years ago, though.

Vladimir had told the story in great detail, about how Marcus had been merciless, and Aro was unskilled. I could smell the smoke from the fire, so I didn't need the gory details. Marcus had run off, no one knew where. I didn't think I would be seeing him again soon.

When I thought back to the time when he had broken the news to Marcus, I had to admit that Aro was a good actor.

Caius was not open to visitors. He retreated to his house to sulk about being all alone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Edward POV**

I knew Aro was corrupt, but I never thought he would stoop to such levels. He killed his own sister! I shuddered at the thought of doing anything to hurt Alice or even Rosalie. But he was gone now, though, the purple smoke that was swirling around in the air was proof enough of that.

So now, I could tell my family everything. And that was exactly what I planned on doing.

* * *

**There is a very subtle quote from Gilmore Girls in there. If you can find it, I'll-- well I can't really give you anything, but I can put all of your stories on my Favorites list. Awesome offer, huh? I don't really know when Didyme died so I just made up my own timeline, in which Carlisle was living with the Volturi at the time that she passed.**

**Anyways, review please.**


End file.
